Goats and chickens

August 5, 2015

Despite my intentions another two months have gone by without a post on this blog. Some of you get our news and occasional photo on Facebook, however I want to maintain a full account of our projects here  –  permaculture, bio-construction, small-scale animal raising.

Speaking of which, the farm has numerous new residents since the beginning of June. On June 8^th we picked up two young goats, both does expecting their first offspring in a few weeks. We named them after our mothers: Nina, for Guy’s mother, and Polly for mine. After all they are the matriarchs of what we hope will prove to be a fine lineage. Neither of us had any experience with caring for goats though Guy’s relatives in Easton had goats at Mary Farm back in the mid-twentieth century. (Don’t you love how that sounds?)

Polly and Nina are the two goats on the right. This is at
the small goat farm where we picked them up

We took them home in our little Fiat Uno.

The day we brought Nina and Polly home they escaped twice and led us on a wild chase through woods and pasture. It took us around three hours, with no lunch or rest, to finally get them safely tied up. For me, after six months of sciatica, the ability to engage in such an adventure was exhilirating at the same time that it was frustrating and scary. What if we never caught them? What if they ran into the hills and disappeared altogether? What if the neighboring dogs, a goat’s worst enemy I hear, joined the pursuit and ended up tearing them to pieces? 

"Catch us if you can!"

Polly and Nina: "OK, what's next?"

By now they have a pleasant fenced in area, with electric fence to keep out the dogs and other predators, as well as a sturdy shed to give them shelter. We understand that goats don’t like rain and mud, therefor the importance of an elevated covered area.

"You're welcome to visit. You should know that I, Nina, am the boss!"

On June 16 friends in Cocalzinho gave us a hen with nine tiny chicks. Of the dozen or more free-range hens and roosters on their little weekend farm, wild animals – dogs, otters, hawks, wildcats – had taken all but this brooding hen and three roosters. The chicks hatched on the weekend while they visited and it was a no-brainer to bring the brood to us. Unprepared for this sudden addition, I hurried out on the town to get provisions. At the stuff-for-sale dump (ferro velho) I found a rusty but strong cage, and at the farm store I picked up a feeder, a water server, and five pounds of feed.

We brought Henny-Penny and her babies home in a cardboard box. As we transferred them to the cage a very excited Lolita (our dog) grabbed one of the chicks and ran off with it. I think she only wanted to play and had no idea how fragile that little bundle of feathers was. I collected the mangled chick, scolded Lolita soundly, and put the little body on the porch in front of her until she understood that she was not to touch it. It took a few more scoldings in the following days, but now Lolita doesn’t blink and eye while the chickens roam, including a new addition – another hen donated by a neighbor. She has to live outside the chicken pen because Henny-Penny attacks her relentlessly when they’re in close quarters, supposedly guarding her chicks from the intruder, establishing who has rights in the chicken yard. We release the whole brood in the late afternoon for two hours of roaming. Otherwise they eat grains and leftovers from the kitchen. I can’t tell for sure but I think most of the chicks are females – soon we should start collecting eggs!

Inspecting the cob house.

Six weeks later - chickies growing up.

Unwelcome addition - she lives outside the coop and
perches in a tree overnight.  Check out her beautiful tail.

On July 10^th Polly gave birth to little Nellie, who entered the world ready to go, up on her legs and following her dam around right away. Guy reminded me that the newborns of many roaming herd animals need to be able to move on with the herd immediately after their birth. 

Welcome Nellie.

Polly and Nellie in foreground. Pregnant Nina behind - we don't know when she'll give birth. 

Guy and I work together to milk Polly and so far we’ve gotten up to a half cup at a time. It’s not easy, but we’re determined to keep at it, and we like the milk a lot. It’s like a mild low fat cow’s milk; I don’t think I could tell the difference in a blind test. 

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                              Stay tuned for news on the cob house - next post soon.